RoyalDude wrote:The future of this team hinges on Kassian, he is the poster boy for the future of this organization, leading the way for the next grouping. If he doesn't pan out, this team's future is a serious work in progress. If Schroeder could step it up then we may not be so bad. Kesler will be the veteren leader of the next group.[/quote]

Not if we re-sign the twins to a massive long-term deal like so many here are hoping.

Kassian has massive potential but if he doesn't show some real production this year then the Hodgson trade is going to look really shitty. I, personally, don't see the skill levels in him that some Canucks fans seem to but he clearly has a pretty special set of physical tools.

I think a full year under the tutelage of Torts and playing full time with the Sedins, Kassian will become a behemoth of a player this season!

The Sedin's really need a player like Kass on their line as he helps give them some space and protection, a real deterrent finally, plus he's not a pest like Burrows, so if Torts gives them time to develop chemistry and doesn't muck around with the lines too much, this trio should benefit tremendously.

And if Kass does play full time with the Sedins, MG should be starting the process of re-signing Kassassasin asap to get a good deal, kinda like how MG signed Burrows 2nd contract before he took off while playing with the twins.

Burrows was already establishing himself as a clutch, pressure situation guy though. He was awesome on the PK, great at pestering opposing scoring forwards, and had chipped in some big goals. Kassian hasn't done even that yet.

Meds wrote:Looking beyond that to the following season we have Bieksa, Hamhuis, and Kesler needing new deals.....a combined $14.1M in cap space.

Ummm those 3 are signed for the next 3 seasons.

FFS, you schmucks are lucky the Great Strangelove didn't drink himself completely to death this weekend!

Meds wrote:The big question mark will be how much the Sedins want next year and how much the cap goes up. I don't see the cap going up by more than $2M.

I killed a billion brain cells the last coupla days and I'm the only one to challenge this nonsense??

No. Hamhuis and Bieksa and Kesler all expire the year after Booth's contract expires. That's what I meant by looking beyond....not this season, the season Booth's deal expires. The wording and structure of my post wasn't clear. Especially to someone who killed a billion brain cells the last coupla days.

Hansen steps up this season with a defined structure put in place by Tortorella and surpasses burrows on the depth chart.

Having said that, the Great Strangelove likes Hansen a great deal.

Speaking of "great deals", Mike give Hansen the same contract you gave Higgins.

And do it today.

Damned right! If Hansen has even a season the same as his last 2, he'll be looking for $3.5 mil a season. Lock him up early. Hell, tarana or columbus will try to give him $5 mil!

As much as I've mocked the Leafs for the contract they gave Clarkson, Columbus takes the cake for stupid deals.

Giving that much money to a guy who wants to go play out his career in an under the radar market????? WTF!!!! He's as much as saying he doesn't want to have to worry about actually performing and winning.....just pay me to skate and shoot a puck.

[quote="MedsAs much as I've mocked the Leafs for the contract they gave Clarkson, Columbus takes the cake for stupid deals.

Giving that much money to a guy who wants to go play out his career in an under the radar market????? WTF!!!! He's as much as saying he doesn't want to have to worry about actually performing and winning.....just pay me to skate and shoot a puck.[/quote]

Do you mean Semin, the guy that was PPG and a +14 on a fairly crappy team.

I would take him at 7 over Clarkson at 5+ any day of the week, not that I would want either on their current contracts.

At half the price and half the term I would take either on the Canucks.

Knucklehead wrote:[quote="MedsAs much as I've mocked the Leafs for the contract they gave Clarkson, Columbus takes the cake for stupid deals.

Giving that much money to a guy who wants to go play out his career in an under the radar market????? WTF!!!! He's as much as saying he doesn't want to have to worry about actually performing and winning.....just pay me to skate and shoot a puck.

Do you mean Semin, the guy that was PPG and a +14 on a fairly crappy team.

I would take him at 7 over Clarkson at 5+ any day of the week, not that I would want either on their current contracts.

At half the price and half the term I would take either on the Canucks.[/quote]

Meds wrote:As much as I've mocked the Leafs for the contract they gave Clarkson, Columbus takes the cake for stupid deals.

Giving that much money to a guy who wants to go play out his career in an under the radar market????? WTF!!!! He's as much as saying he doesn't want to have to worry about actually performing and winning.....just pay me to skate and shoot a puck.

The guy was a huge part of two lengthy playoff runs for an original six franchise, he's a skill player with the power game Clarkson has and he's a year younger.. I'd happily take Horton at more or less the same money over Clarkson and if anyone would choose differently because Clarkson is happier sitting in front of fifteen reporters after fifty losses a season for the next seven years ... I just don't know what to say to that.

Sucks that Horton doesn't want to go to a big franchise and play under high pressure situations for the rest of his career but you're projecting a bunch of other characteristics onto that decision and judging him for it to the point where you're take a clearly inferior player and that's ridiculous.

Meds wrote:As much as I've mocked the Leafs for the contract they gave Clarkson, Columbus takes the cake for stupid deals.

Giving that much money to a guy who wants to go play out his career in an under the radar market????? WTF!!!! He's as much as saying he doesn't want to have to worry about actually performing and winning.....just pay me to skate and shoot a puck.

The guy was a huge part of two lengthy playoff runs for an original six franchise, he's a skill player with the power game Clarkson has and he's a year younger.. I'd happily take Horton at more or less the same money over Clarkson and if anyone would choose differently because Clarkson is happier sitting in front of fifteen reporters after fifty losses a season for the next seven years ... I just don't know what to say to that.

Sucks that Horton doesn't want to go to a big franchise and play under high pressure situations for the rest of his career but you're projecting a bunch of other characteristics onto that decision and judging him for it to the point where you're take a clearly inferior player and that's ridiculous.

Not really ridiculous at all. I don't like either contract. But the Bluejackets just paid big money to a guy with a nice track record of concussion and injury history who has said he wants to play somewhere quiet. Clarkson isn't as talented, never argued that.

Meds wrote:Looking beyond that to the following season we have Bieksa, Hamhuis, and Kesler needing new deals.....a combined $14.1M in cap space.

Ummm those 3 are signed for the next 3 seasons.

FFS, you schmucks are lucky the Great Strangelove didn't drink himself completely to death this weekend!

Meds wrote:The big question mark will be how much the Sedins want next year and how much the cap goes up. I don't see the cap going up by more than $2M.

I killed a billion brain cells the last coupla days and I'm the only one to challenge this nonsense??

No. Hamhuis and Bieksa and Kesler all expire the year after Booth's contract expires. That's what I meant by looking beyond....not this season, the season Booth's deal expires. The wording and structure of my post wasn't clear. Especially to someone who killed a billion brain cells the last coupla days.

Okay I forgive you for not being clear about when those 3 contracts expire.

Sadly, I cannot forgive you for predicting the cap will rise by a mere $2m.

I don't like either contract. But the Bluejackets just paid big money to a guy with a nice track record of concussion and injury history who has said he wants to play somewhere quiet. Clarkson isn't as talented, never argued that.

So you'd take the "isn't as talented" guy who is also smaller and older because he's missed 32 fewer games over the last four years and because of what he said (or didn't say) off the ice?

The bottom line is that both deals carry risk, but Horton could concievably play like a first liner four or five years of his deal.. the BJs got a player whose talent actually exceeds his cap hit.

Clarkson probably won't play like a first liner next year, nevermind several years down the line.

Anyway you originally took issue with signing a player who wants to sign with a team like yours (Columbus in this case), we can move the goalposts around and talk about Horton's injury risk but the bottom line is that the BJs handed out one of the few non-absurd long term contracts this summer.

You can make all kinds of assumptions about Horton's choices but given your track record of doing things like raking that lazy Russian Ilya Kovalchuk over the coals for being less effective while playing through a back injury I think I'm just going to stick to my guns on this one.

I don't like either contract. But the Bluejackets just paid big money to a guy with a nice track record of concussion and injury history who has said he wants to play somewhere quiet. Clarkson isn't as talented, never argued that.

So you'd take the "isn't as talented" guy who is also smaller and older because he's missed 32 fewer games over the last four years and because of what he said (or didn't say) off the ice?

The bottom line is that both deals carry risk, but Horton could concievably play like a first liner four or five years of his deal.. the BJs got a player whose talent actually exceeds his cap hit.

Clarkson probably won't play like a first liner next year, nevermind several years down the line.

Anyway you originally took issue with signing a player who wants to sign with a team like yours (Columbus in this case), we can move the goalposts around and talk about Horton's injury risk but the bottom line is that the BJs handed out one of the few non-absurd long term contracts this summer.

You can make all kinds of assumptions about Horton's choices but given your track record of doing things like raking that lazy Russian Ilya Kovalchuk over the coals for being less effective while playing through a back injury I think I'm just going to stick to my guns on this one.

Ridiculous.

Like I said, I don't like either contract. If its Vancouver handing it out I take Horton (basedon talent) because Vancouver is a city that EXPECTS a winner, so players that come here should be wanting to play and win in the spotlight.

You are really going to have to refresh my memory about Kovalchuk. I've always felt he has been a player that plays for himself and not his team. But the back injury part? Whoosh.

[Kovalchuk is] loaded with talent, but nobody who claims to have watched the SCF this year can say he actually put in more than a token effort. If I'm a guy like Parise I'm looking at how long this guy is signed in Jersey and thinking, that's a helluvalot of years to have to play next to a guy who makes HUGE money but doesn't seem to care on the ice when the chips are down and you have to dig deep. Zubrus can be lumped in with Kovalchuk too. I know that I'd be looking anywhere other than the Devils after playing 4 rounds on a team that is so financially committed to a lazy Russian.

...

dbr wrote:Not to undermine your "lazy Russian" narrative but I am pretty sure Kovalchuk played through a herniated disk..

[Kovalchuk is] loaded with talent, but nobody who claims to have watched the SCF this year can say he actually put in more than a token effort. If I'm a guy like Parise I'm looking at how long this guy is signed in Jersey and thinking, that's a helluvalot of years to have to play next to a guy who makes HUGE money but doesn't seem to care on the ice when the chips are down and you have to dig deep. Zubrus can be lumped in with Kovalchuk too. I know that I'd be looking anywhere other than the Devils after playing 4 rounds on a team that is so financially committed to a lazy Russian.

...

dbr wrote:Not to undermine your "lazy Russian" narrative but I am pretty sure Kovalchuk played through a herniated disk..

Meds wrote:Appreciate the info.....had no idea.

Well there ya go.

I'm often amazed at how much people remember about who said what and when on this site.....